The Laws of Human Nature PDF
Preview The Laws of Human Nature
Also by Robert Greene Mastery The 50th Law (with 50 Cent) The 33 Strategies of War (a Joost Elffers Production) The Art of Seduction (a Joost Elffers Production) The 48 Laws of Power (a Joost Elffers Production) VIKING An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 penguinrandomhouse.com Copyright © 2018 by Robert Greene Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader. ISBN 9780525428145 (hardcover) ISBN 9780698184541 (ebook) ISBN 9780525561804 (international edition) Version_1 To my mother Contents Also by Robert Greene Title Page Copyright Dedication Introduction 1 Master Your Emotional Self The Law of Irrationality The Inner Athena Step One: Recognize the Biases Step Two: Beware the Inflaming Factors Step Three: Strategies Toward Bringing Out the Rational Self 2 Transform Self-love into Empathy The Law of Narcissism The Narcissistic Spectrum Examples of Narcissistic Types 3 See Through People’s Masks The Law of Role-playing The Second Language Observational Skills Decoding Keys The Art of Impression Management 4 Determine the Strength of People’s Character The Law of Compulsive Behavior The Pattern Character Signs Toxic Types The Superior Character 5 Become an Elusive Object of Desire The Law of Covetousness The Object of Desire Strategies for Stimulating Desire The Supreme Desire 6 Elevate Your Perspective The Law of Shortsightedness Moments of Madness Four Signs of Shortsightedness and Strategies to Overcome Them The Farsighted Human 7 Soften People’s Resistance by Confirming Their Self-opinion The Law of Defensiveness The Influence Game Five Strategies for Becoming a Master Persuader The Flexible Mind—Self-strategies 8 Change Your Circumstances by Changing Your Attitude The Law of Self-sabotage The Ultimate Freedom The Constricted (Negative) Attitude The Expansive (Positive) Attitude 9 Confront Your Dark Side The Law of Repression The Dark Side Deciphering the Shadow: Contradictory Behavior The Integrated Human 10 Beware the Fragile Ego The Law of Envy Fatal Friends Signs of Envy Envier Types Envy Triggers Beyond Envy 11 Know Your Limits The Law of Grandiosity The Success Delusion The Grandiose Leader Practical Grandiosity 12 Reconnect to the Masculine or Feminine Within You The Law of Gender Rigidity The Authentic Gender Gender Projection—Types The Original Man/Woman 13 Advance with a Sense of Purpose The Law of Aimlessness The Voice Strategies for Developing a High Sense of Purpose The Lure of False Purposes 14 Resist the Downward Pull of the Group The Law of Conformity An Experiment in Human Nature The Court and Its Courtiers The Reality Group 15 Make Them Want to Follow You The Law of Fickleness The Entitlement Curse Strategies for Establishing Authority The Inner Authority 16 See the Hostility Behind the Friendly Façade The Law of Aggression The Sophisticated Aggressor The Source of Human Aggression Passive Aggression—Its Strategies and How to Counter Them Controlled Aggression 17 Seize the Historical Moment The Law of Generational Myopia The Rising Tide The Generational Phenomenon Generational Patterns Strategies for Exploiting the Spirit of the Times The Human Beyond Time and Death 18 Meditate on Our Common Mortality The Law of Death Denial The Bullet in the Side A Philosophy of Life Through Death Acknowledgments Selected Bibliography Index About the Author Introduction If you come across any special trait of meanness or stupidity . . . you must be careful not to let it annoy or distress you, but to look upon it merely as an addition to your knowledge—a new fact to be considered in studying the character of humanity. Your attitude towards it will be that of the mineralogist who stumbles upon a very characteristic specimen of a mineral. —Arthur Schopenhauer Throughout the course of our lives, we inevitably have to deal with a variety of individuals who stir up trouble and make our lives difficult and unpleasant. Some of these individuals are leaders or bosses, some are colleagues, and some are friends. They can be aggressive or passive-aggressive, but they are generally masters at playing on our emotions. They often appear charming and refreshingly confident, brimming with ideas and enthusiasm, and we fall under their spell. Only when it is too late do we discover that their confidence is irrational and their ideas ill-conceived. Among colleagues, they can be those who sabotage our work or careers out of secret envy, excited to bring us down. Or they could be colleagues or hires who reveal, to our dismay, that they are completely out for themselves, using us as stepping-stones. What inevitably happens in these situations is that we are caught off guard, not expecting such behavior. Often these types will hit us with elaborate cover stories to justify their actions, or blame handy scapegoats. They know how to confuse us and draw us into a drama they control. We might protest or become angry, but in the end we feel rather helpless—the damage is done. Then another such type enters our life, and the same story repeats itself.
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